Can opener



Dec. 11, 1951 J. c. CUNNINGHAM CAN OPENER Filed Feb. 27, 1947 O pm. 4

Patented Dec. 11,1951

UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN OPENER Joseph C. Cunningham, Baltimore,Md.

Application February 27, 1947, Serial No. 731,185

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to can openers and more particularly to thoseintended for manual or motor powered use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improvedcan opener that will avoid one or more of the advantages and limitationsof the prior art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can opener that willremove portions of the container, it is used on, in a manner that willavoid the sharp cutting edges that conventional forms of can openersmake.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can opener that willopen a can without allowing any parts of the opening device to enter thecan during the opening.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the invention ismore fully set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a'can opener embodying this invention withportions broken away to indicate its interior structure;

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a sectional view of Figure 1, taken along line 3-3 of Figure1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

In the drawings provided with this application, a structure is providedby way of example to illustrate the principles of the invention, whilethe claims indicate the scope of the invention.

In this structure a frame If] is formed hollow or open to permit theinsertion of the works of a can opener mechanism. The mechanism consistsof a shaft I l journalled in the frame l and operated by a motor I2 of amanipulator handle is mounted thereon.

The shaft ll carries a miter gear 43 that engages with an intermediategear M of the same kind and meshes with another miter gear Hi. This gearin turn operates shaft 22 which contains another miter gear 3'6. Mitergear 36 meshes with another miter gear IS. The shaft ll on which thegear I6 is mounted supportsa knurled wheel 18 that rotates clockwise(Fig. 3) and rides without slipping against the inner rim is of a cantop to be opened by the device.

The intermediate gear I4 is on a shaft 20 that turns a milling cutter 2|that rotates clockwise (Fig. 3) and cuts into the material forming theouter peripheral surface of the rim IS. The shaft 20 is held in theframe structure It and turns in the same direction to that of theknurled wheel I8.

A shaft 22 supports the gear l and the shaft ll supports the gear it,all of which are mounted on the frame structure I9. The shaft 22 issplined to permit the gear 36 to travel on it adjustably in a horizontaldirection. This permits the sliding frame 24 which independentlysupports thev shafts I 1 and 22 to be adjusted to varying thicknesses ofthe rim l9. The screw 25 enables the adjusting to be done efiectively onthe rod 38.

The container to be opened is supported on an adjustable bracket 26attached to the frame structure as by the set screw 40 and is arrangedwith a ball bearing base plate 23 to allow the container 30 to rotatefreely therewith, as the cutting mechanism Zi turns against its rim I 9.

The object of the miller cutter 2! is to abrade the material of the rimrather than out into it. The miller 2! cuts the material on its outsideedge by abrading it and leaves the rib [9 with a smooth edge that is notapt to cut the hands and with its upper edge turned over so the cap canbe replaced to cover the can and be removed easily by the hand of theuser. Since the cutting is done on the outside of the bent rim of thecan instead of into the can wall as is conventionally done, it allowsthe top of the can to be removed, as if it were a cover and preventparts of the can or dirt from entering the can during the cuttingoperation. This permits the cover to be reused for covering thecontainer many times if desired, a feature which the usual can openerdoes not anticipate.

While but one general form of the invention is shown in the drawings anddescribed in the specifications, it is not desired to limit thisapplication for patent to this particular form, as it is appreciatedthat other forms of construction could be made that would use the sameprinciples and come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A can opener comprising a frame, a bracket adjustably mounted on saidframe, means for rotatably supporting a container on said bracket, saidcontainer having a flanged closure, gearing carried by said frame, anabrading element driven by said gearing, said element being in contactwith one side of the flanged closure, a knurled element also driven bysaid gearing, said knurled element being in contact with the oppositeside of the flanged closure, and adjustable means for said knurledelement to allow for the thickness of the flange closure.

2. A can opener as set forth in claim 1, the adjustable means for theknurled element including a shaft driving said knurled element, a

3 pair of gears driving said shaft, a housing for Number said gears anda sliding connection between said 1,424,960 housing and said frame.1,531,442 JOSEPH C. CUNNINGHAM. 1,534,484 0 1,556,385 REFERENCES CITED1,993,004

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS m 575,973 Number Name Date 1,393,412 WallerOct. 11, 1921 Name Date Waller et a1. Aug. 8, 1922 Jerdee Mar. 31, 1925Averill Apr. 21, 1925 Waller Oct. 6, 1925 Green Mar. 5, 1935 FOREIGNPATENTS Country Date Germany May 22, 1939

